Sweet Sixteen

Indianapolis is a car town, plain and simple. It has long held a reputation for speed and performance thanks to national- and international-scale motorsports events such as the NHRA U.S. Nationals and Indianapolis 500. For the last 16 years it has also played host to one of the premier outdoor rod, custom, and nostalgia drag racing events in the country, the Goodguys Hot Rod Nationals.Simply put, Goodguys Indy is the place to see and be seen for thousands of rod and custom enthusiasts from coast to coast but particularly for those in the nation's midsection. It typically serves as a "coming out" party for many pro builders' latest creations and an annual reunion for the thousands of folks who return every spring. Early June scheduling means it also kicks off the big summer show season in the central part of the country.

This year's Hot Rod Nats, held June 11-13 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, continued the tradition with style. Thousands of cars filled the show 'n' shine field, hundreds of racers burned rubber down the 'strip, and all in attendance seemed thrilled to be surrounded by so much neat old iron. Another Indy tradition--rain--played its part on Saturday and Sunday, but most folks seemed to take it in stride, even when their tires settled into the soggy soil. A rain-shortened racing schedule was probably the weekend's biggest disappointment.

Wet weather or not, there was still plenty of fun to be had in Indy. Whether you were participating in the Indy 500 Track Cruise, vying for a Boyd Coddington Pro's Pick, shopping for bargains in the swap meet, watching the fuel-burning diggers, drinking Pabst in the new Garage Grown area, or simply cruising the hotel parking lots at night, you were sure to find plenty of like-minded individuals to share the experience. After all, this is Indy, the most car-friendly city in the country.